Connections between trades and trafficking in wildlife and drugs

van Uhm, Daan, South, Nigel and Wyatt, Tanya (2021) Connections between trades and trafficking in wildlife and drugs. Trends in Organized Crime, 24 (4). pp. 425-446. ISSN 1084-4791

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-021-09416-z

Abstract

Whilst drug trafficking has been a concern for several decades, wildlife trafficking has only fairly recently garnered international attention. Often media coverage of wildlife trafficking links it to the illegal trade of drugs. This article analyses wildlife and drug trafficking connections of various kinds. The purpose is to reveal the overlaps and synergies of wildlife and drug trafficking, providing concrete examples of where these markets co-exist as well as intertwine based on literature and original fieldwork. It explores the question of ‘Why in some cases, an illicit market remains focused on a single commodity, whilst in others it accommodates a combination of illicit commodities?’ This study identifies different types of wildlife-drugs linkages, including combined contraband, camouflage, multiple trade lines, shared smuggling routes and transportation methods, barter trade, and laundering drug money. The article shows that illicit markets are complex and the examples of activities and transactions that are provided illuminate some of the different dimensions of converging and diverging trades involving wildlife and drugs.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding information: Daan van Uhm’s research was funded by the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO): 016.Veni.195.040.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Convergence, Criminal networks, Drug trafficking, Green criminology, Wildlife trafficking
Subjects: D400 Agriculture
D700 Agricultural Sciences
L400 Social Policy
Department: Faculties > Arts, Design and Social Sciences > Social Sciences
Depositing User: Rachel Branson
Date Deposited: 10 Aug 2021 09:39
Last Modified: 13 Jan 2022 14:31
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/46890

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